David Cameron yesterday accused former top brass of only criticising his government’s record on defence spending to gain publicity for books they have written. The remarks triggered outrage within the military community, with one former commander calling them “ridiculous and insulting”. Without

A new round of job cuts across the armed forces is inevitable after the general election despite a Tory promise to the contrary, an authoritative analysis reveals today. A report by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) calculated that Britain’s defence budget was set to fall well below the

Britain has rejected a call from the president of the European Commission to create an EU army in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. Jean-Claude Juncker said that such a force would show President Putin “that we are serious about defending European values”. He told a German newspaper that

David Cameron will suggest today that Britain might not be safe from Russian aggression or Islamist extremism with Ed Miliband in charge. The prime minister is to make the charge in a speech which tries to focus the campaign on “whose hands will be on the steering wheel”. He will say at a central

A growing number of soldiers and Marines will quit the British military to travel to Iraq and Syria to fight as volunteers against Islamic State, defence sources and former officers said last night. The lack of combat missions for British ground troops since the withdrawal from Afghanistan last

Britain and its allies are prepared to take sanctions against Russia “to a whole different level” if a faltering ceasefire in Ukraine fails, David Cameron said yesterday. The prime minister accused President Putin of ripping up the rule book with his actions in Ukraine and said that the West must

Forget James Bond and Carrie Mathison of Homeland, middle-aged mothers are the future of spying, a committee of MPs said yesterday. Britain’s spy agencies were urged to advertise on Mumsnet to fix a shortfall in female spooks, a suggestion that generated an enthusiastic response from scores of

The Treasury is preparing to freeze defence spending after the election, Whitehall sources warned last night, fuelling a growing Tory rebellion over Britain’s military budget. More than 30 MPs are to stage a Commons showdown next week in an attempt to force David Cameron to meet a Nato commitment

Britain’s spy agencies need to hire more mothers and middle-aged women through forums such as Mumsnet to fix a shortfall in female spooks, a committee of MPs said today. MI5, MI6 and GCHQ much also tackle a “permafrost” of male, mid-ranking managers who have become an obstacle to a much-needed

Britain’s military chiefs should be prepared to resign en mass if the next government decides to cut defence spending again, a former head of the Royal Air Force said yesterday. Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon said that General Sir Nicholas Houghton, the chief of the defence staff, and the